Reader Comments

selfishness

IF you accept the Police report, confirmed by one witness and contested by others related to the "victims," the real problem here is selfishness.

The same problem that makes selfish drivers run down pedestrians in crosswalks after the lights change. The same problem that makes people forget they are not alone in this world, and that the people around them matter, too. Even if their version is correct, they were still disrupting a theatre full of other people because they insisted on talking on the phone.

IF the Police version of the story is correct, I'd say they were treated fairly. I'd like to be able to mace people for using phones in theatres, or, for that matter, running down people in crosswalks...

No Subject Given

I was reading the details and while one COULD doubt the official police report, reading more about the ones who got maced, those paragons of civic virtues, I'm inclined to believe it was a case of uneducated, rude, obnoxious people being jerks, then getting riled up because someone DARED do something about it.

We have become so brainwashed by the media into believe that WE are entitled beyond all others that we have become a nation of narcisistic, materialistic, boorish *ssh*les who border on believe that rules only exist for OTHER people, and when someone intrudes on this belief, we get our back up and scream foul. It ain't cool.

You use the cellphone DURING a movie, cause a commotion and get upset because you aren't allowed to intrude on others? I figure a good macing's overdue. However, according to the report (and other witnesses beyond the macees friends) the guy got upset and swung at the police officer (and indeed has a history of violence) and in my book, the guy's lucky he didn't get shot.

correction

The couple were sprayed with pepper spray, not mace. Pepper spray burns your eyes and sinuses but mace will nearly incapacitate you. It's the difference between being stung by a bee and being gut-shot with a .44 magnum.

As to the justification for the spraying, I've seen too damn many inconsiderate a**holes do the exact same thing at the movies and what someone may think is an "important" call probably isn't unless it involves death or near-death on someone's part. She should have gotten up as soon as her cell phone started ringing and headed for the lobby out of consideration for the rest of the audience, but consideration for others is one thing that isn't taught in this country anymore.

No Subject Given

Recently I went to see "Spiderman 2" with some friends. The movie had already started when some a**hole, sitting behind me, took a call on his cell phone....after having already seen instructions on the movie screen to turn off one's cell phone before the movie started.*sigh*

Re: correction

Obvious to me that you have never tasted pepper spray (properly OC spray, oleoresin capsicum (sp?) actually). Its no bee sting. Both OC and mace will make you miserable, just with different reactions. OC is also less likely to cause sideeffects.

I am a cop. I carry OC on my belt. Just putting my hand on the OC holster causes hard core gangbangers to straighten up and pay attention. Its the punk wannabees who haven't eaten fire before who keep on screwing with me until they get a facefull. They almost never make the same mistake again.

Re: correction

I've been maced, pepper sprayed, and tear gassed as part of military and law enforcement training. Tased too. I never saw anybody go into convulsions or stop breathing from being pepper sprayed. Can't say the same for the other three. Never assume anything is obvious. The correction is valid however, as the police report states that they were sprayed with pepper spray and not mace.